Much like other forms of marketing, email campaigns also have a lifecycle that varies based mostly on the relationship you build with subscribers/customers. Persuading subscribers to move through the lifecycle to become single- and multi-customers requires you to get to know subscribers over time so you can send content and offers that are of real value.
Email Lifecycle Stages
The stages of a typical email campaign include:
- Finding prospects - this involves finding subscribers through a landing page, website, social media pages, blog or through direct contact via your place of business.
- Subscriber registration - this involves people actually signing up to receive newsletters and other email content from you.
- First sale - moving subscribers along towards making that first sale can be tricky, but achievable if you provide enough valuable information along with irresistible offers.
- Multiple sales - once a subscriber makes their first purchase, chances are very good they will make another.
- Waning interest - unfortunately, unless you sell a product that is necessary for the sustainment of life, most subscribers will eventually lose interest in your campaign. This may be because they're completely satisfied with their purchase; they've moved on to a new hobby or found more useful goods and services elsewhere.
Now that you understand email lifecycle stages, it's important to create a marketing plan for each stage to guide subscribers without being overly pushy or rude. Being too aggressive will drive most subscribers to opt-out of your list somewhere between registration and first sale - this means you just missed out on the potential for not only one sale, but multiple sales.
Marketing Tips for Each Stage
Since those on your list will be at various stages at different times, segmenting your list can help guide people through each stage more effectively. The more you understand subscribers, the better your chances will be in getting them to complete the lifecycle.
Here are some tips to use throughout your mass email campaign:
- Create a landing page that asks for basic information such as first and last name, email address and content preferences (if you offer multiple newsletters)
- List some of the benefits to subscribing to your newsletter on the landing page or sign-up form.
- Create a welcome message that lets subscribers know exactly what they will receive from you - types of content, special offers, weekly or monthly newsletters, etc.
- Use the welcome message to learn additional information about subscribers. Create a short survey to better understand how often they want to hear from you, their likes/dislikes pertaining to niche/industry you're marketing to, average age, gender and location.
- Send a mix of informational and sales content to get subscribers interested in making a purchase. Once they've made a purchase, create a separate segment and send additional offers or more advanced or technical information they will appreciate.
- Send a 'welcome back' email to those you have not heard from in a while. If you don't receive any feedback or additional orders, consider removing these subscribers after six months of inactivity.